French Surrealism: A Revolution of the Mind

Saturday, December 6, 2014
2:30-4:00 pm

Past Event

French Surrealism is probably best known for its paintings–images of floppy watches or men in bowler hats and topcoats falling from the sky. But just as central to the movement was the poetry produced from the beginning by André Breton, Robert Desnos, Benjamin Péret, Louis Aragon, René Char, and a host of others. We will read samples of that poetry in translation and offer historical asides to provide context for activities that ranged from the mid-twenties to the late sixties.

Participants:

Mary Ann Caws

Distinguished Professor of English, French, and Comparative Literature at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York

Mary Ann Caws is Distinguished Professor of English, French, and Comparative Literature at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, the recipient of Guggenheim, Rockefeller, and Fulbright fellowships, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, past President of the Modern Language Association, of the American Comparative Literature Association, of… read more »

Anne-Marie Levine

Poet and Visual Artist

Anne-Marie Levine lives in New York City. A poet and visual artist who began writing while touring as a concert pianist, she’s the author of three books of poetry: Euphorbia, Bus Ride to a Blue Movie, and Oral History; and a forthcoming artists book called Reculer Pour Mieux Sauter. Her work also appears in various… read more »

Mark Polizzotti

Author, Director of the Publications Program at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mark Polizzotti has translated more than fifty books from the French, including works by Gustave Flaubert, Patrick Modiano, Marguerite Duras, André Breton, and Raymond Roussel. A Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the recipient of a 2016 American Academy of Arts & Letters Award for Literature, he is the author of… read more »

Bill Zavatsky holds B.A. and M.F.A degrees from Columbia University. He has taught at all levels of education since 1971. For many years he taught in the high school at the Trinity School in Manhattan, and most recently at the Eugene Lang College of the New School. His poetry-writing workshop has been ongoing at the… read more »

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